The Oyo and Bauchi governments have begun the ‘Scale 3.0 Vaccination Campaign’ to protect residents against COVID- 19 pandemics.

The Oyo government announced this in a statement by its information ministry on Saturday. At an event on Friday at its primary health care board in Ibadan, Taiwo Ladipo, the health commissioner, said about 30 per cent of people in the state had been vaccinated.

The Bauchi government inaugurated 800 ‘Community Health Influencers and Promoters Services (CHIPS) Agents’ and the ‘COVID-19 Scales 3.0 Vaccination’ in the state. Speaking at the opening ceremony on Saturday in Bauchi, Ali Babayo, the health ministry’s permanent secretary, said the target was to ensure at least 70 per cent of people residing in the state get vaccinated.

The Oyo commissioner said with the fourth wave of COVID-19 gradually sweeping across Nigeria, not less than 70 per cent of people in Oyo were unprotected through vaccination from the virus.

Mr Ladipo stated that more people needed to be vaccinated against the virus to prevent sickness and death.

“Up to 30 per cent of people have been vaccinated with either one or more doses. The goal is not 30 per cent but 70. We need to ensure that people have the vaccine. This is another opportunity for those that have not had three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to do so,” stated the Oyo health commissioner.

Mr Ladipo added, “The battle against COVID-19 is not lost, but we do not want to lose, so everyone needs to be involved in the vaccination process so that everyone is assured to be safe from the virus.”

Mr Babayo commended the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) for introducing the programme in Bauchi.

“The programme will create demands and at the same time ensure the provision of basic health services in our communities. The state will continue to ensure all eligible residents were vaccinated against COVID-19,” he said.

The executive secretary of the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board, Muideen Olatunji, explained that the ‘Scale 3.0 COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign’ was to aggressively increase the vaccination process towards protecting lives as Nigeria experienced the fourth wave.

Also, Philips Zorto, the World Health Organisation’s coordinator, decried the poor response to health interventions by the people. He admonished residents to get vaccinated and mobilise others for the exercise.

Mr Zorto stated that the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the state was small, unlike in other states.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists in Oyo, Abiodun Gbadamosi, said 24 pharmaceutical shops across the state had been integrated into the vaccination team to provide COVID-19 vaccination in the communities.

(NAN)